• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, June 23, 2016

The art of casting seems to be an increasing crucial element in producing shows or commercials. Enter Big Data for help with this process.

Nielsen is revamping its N-Score product, now offering a more detailed “Fan Affinity” number.  N-Score tallies a celebrity’s awareness, likeability, and other attributes. Fan Affinity looks specifically at a celebrity's fan base -- what fans watch, buy and do --  for content or brand needs.

For example, Ashton Kutcher’s fans score higher than 91% of all other celebrities’ fans in terms of tuning in to any broadcast morning show.

Another example, actor Aaron Paul’s fans score higher than 99% of all other celebrities’ fans when it comes to buying or leasing a vehicle, or for performing an “eco-friendly” activity.  Actor Liev Schreiber has nearly the same results -- a 96 score for eco-friendly stuff; a 99 score for buying or leasing a vehicle.

Nielsen says that “pinpointing” the best personality to attract the right audience can drive big results.

But is this enough? Much could be said about other disciplines that need big data help: writing, producing, distributing, and maybe even lightning and makeup.

Will this lead to even better and more TV shows and creative advertising? That would be hard to stomach, especially when TV executives say we are in the golden age of TV and some 500 good shows -- broadcast and cable -- are on the air, many of which struggle to keep going financially.

Here’s why: Consumers are at the edge of their non-sleeping time in consuming more media as it is. What happens if this quality content doubles?  More work for celebrities. But who pays up?